Windows 8. 1 Review - Better for Touch Than Desktop. When Windows 8 launched last fall, millions of long- time PC users were reluctant to upgrade their existing computers or purchase new systems with the new OS. Even though it promised better performance at an initial upgrade price of just $4. Windows 8's . With Windows 8. Microsoft made some significant improvements, including a multitasking- friendly split- screen mode, new Bing apps and a helpful universal search feature. However, if you have a version of Windows prior to 8, it will now cost at least $1. Should users make the jump to Windows 8. Upgrade Process. Unlike Windows 8, which preserved all of the apps and settings when you upgraded from Windows 7, 8. In other respects, the process of upgrading from Windows 7 was painless. We purchased an upgrade from windows. Microsoft Windows, or simply Windows, is a metafamily of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft. It consists of several families of. Windows 8.1 review The free update to Windows 8.1 addresses many of the problems users had with Windows 8, but it still feels like an operating system at war with itself. More Features. FreeFileSync isn’t completely bloated with unnecessary options, but it offers more features than SyncToy. While it offers three synchronization modes. Windows 8 Activator and Windows 8.1 Activator – KMS Activator Ultimate 2016 version is the most Simple and very user-Friendly activator for Windows Vista, Windows 7. As you one can predict, there is no information available on Windows 8 including GUI till date. But Windows lovers have already started dreaming of Windows 8. Note: This operating system may be installed over previous versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista by completing a clean installation, or Windows 7, and Windows 8.1. NVidia Graphics Driver (Windows Vista 32-bit / Windows 7 32-bit / Windows 8 32-bit) 382.33 nVidia Graphics Driver (Windows Vista 32-bit / Windows 7 32-bit / Windows 8. Which browser is best in Windows 8 ? We put Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer to the test and crown a winner. What is Driver Restore? Driver Restore by 383 Media Inc. We all love Windows, right? It’s a great operating system, there’s no doubt about that. However, what if I told you that Ubuntu was better? GB file in less than 2. Your programs and settings will be preserved if you move from Windows 8 to 8. Windows 8. 1 in the Windows Store. MORE: How to Download and Install Windows 8. Start Screen. The Windows 8. Start Screen has all the same basic components as Windows 8, as it's filled with square tiles that serve as shortcuts to both traditional desktop apps and new- style . As with Windows 8, many of these tiles can be set to serve as Live Tiles, which show a preview of what you can expect to see within the app. For example, the built- in Bing News app shows headlines and the Bing Food & Drink app shows a featured recipe on its tile, but clicking the tiles takes you to the home screen of the app, which may or may not contain the content you saw on the tile. For example, when the news tile said . Where tiles only came in two sizes in Windows 8, users can now select from wide, medium, large and small. We particularly appreciated the new, large- size tiles, which allow for more information in the previews, showing large images in the photo gallery tile and displaying three headlines instead of one in the Bing News tile. Reordering tiles is also easier than in Windows 8. Rather than moving one tile at a time, we were able to select as many as we wanted through control clicking and dragging them around the screen, even creating custom groups of apps. Microsoft has tried its best to keep the Start screen pristine. On a clean install, the screen contains shortcuts to 1. Mail app, the People app, the Windows Store, Bing News, the Camera app, Sky. Drive and Internet Explorer. When you install a new app, it doesn't automatically appear on the Start screen, but rather only on the all- apps menu, which is now available if you click the down arrow from the Start screen or swipe up. As with Windows 8, you can add any Modern or desktop app to the Start screen by right- clicking (or long- pressing) it and selecting Pin to Start. Desktop and Start Button. When it released Windows 8, Microsoft was rightly accused of trying to kill the desktop UI. That's because the OS eliminated the Start button and made the entire windowed environment little more than an app that runs on top of the touch- friendly Modern UI. In Windows 8. 1, Microsoft has made some cosmetic improvements that make the desktop feel less like a ghetto for your favorite programs and more like a cohesive part of the OS. Unfortunately, these changes amount to little more than window dressing. MORE: How to Use the Windows 8. Start Button. Microsoft has brought back the much- missed Start button, but not the Start menu it launched in Windows 7 and previous versions of the OS. Instead, when you hit the button, you are transported back to the Start screen just the same as you were when you clicked in the lower left corner of the screen - - the same location - - in Windows 8. You can configure the Start button to take you to the all- apps menu instead of the Start screen, but we miss the old- fashioned Windows 7 Start menu, which appeared as an overlay on top of the screen rather than taking you away from your work. Of course, you can always install a third- party Start menu replacement such as Start. Classic Shell (free), both of which work in Windows 8. Though it still wants to force the Start screen on you, Microsoft does allow you to boot straight to desktop mode in Windows 8. You can also configure the Start screen to use the same wallpaper as the desktop, making it look like the tiles are floating on top of the desktop, even though you're in a completely different mode. Split- Screen Mode. Undoubtedly the best new feature in Windows 8. UI into two to four windows, each with its own app or, in some cases, multiple instances of the same app. Unlike in desktop mode, these windows do not float, but instead remain snapped to one side of the screen or to the middle with a border you can slide left or right to give them more or less real estate. We particularly enjoyed being able to place two or more browser windows side- by- side or put the mail client right next to the browser. MORE: How to Use Split Screen Mode in Windows 8. However, Windows 8. That means you need a full HD screen to open three windows and at least a 2. In some cases, you may have enough pixels but the OS still limits your number of windows by default, because of your screen size. For example, the 1. Surface Pro tablet only allows two windows, unless you change an option in the Ease of Access section of the PC settings. We wish there was more flexibility, but overall split- screen mode is a great feature. Universal Search. Where Windows 8's search feature made you choose between looking for files, apps, Web pages or control panel settings, by default Windows 8. A typical search will return not only results from your own hard drive and list of installed apps but also from the Web and from within apps such as Wikipedia. People app. Instead of presenting the results as a simple vertical or horizontal list, search often subdivides the list by types of content. For example, when we searched for our own name, Windows 8. Excel file we authored, another with a link to our people app profile, and a montage of Web images associated with our name. As we scrolled farther right, a list of Web results appeared for our name, each with a thumbnail preview. Microsoft has also preprogrammed the results to show additional information for famous people, places and things. For example, when we searched for . For example, when we searched for Lady Gaga and clicked on a couple of her top songs, they immediately began playing in Xbox Music for free. However, after we clicked the third song, we got a 3. Users who want to avoid ads can sign up for Xbox Music Pass, which costs $9. Unfortunately, like prior versions of Windows, Windows 8. Users\ folder, which includes the desktop, music, pictures and documents libraries. However, if you create a folder called C: \mp. Sky. Drive Integration. Microsoft has integrated its Sky. Drive cloud storage service even more deeply into Windows 8. Where Windows 8 had a Sky. Drive modern app on its Start screen, Windows 8. Sky. Drive to the desktop File Explorer, an option previously available via a downloadable desktop app. As always, you get 7. GB of Sky. Drive storage just for having a free Microsoft account, with the option to upgrade to 2. GB for $9. 9. 9 a year, 5. GB for $2. 5, 1. 00. GB for $5. 0 or 2. GB for $1. 00. MORE: How to Access Sky. Drive Files Offline in Windows 8. To keep you from having your Sky. Drive files eat up on local storage, Sky. Drive has a feature called . When you browse your folders, all of your files look like they are available with photos even showing their thumbnails. However, if you are offline, those thumbnails will appear gray, indicating that you can't access the files. On the bright side, any files you've opened previously on your computer will be stored offline and you can always make a folder of all of your Sky. Drive available offline by right- clicking on it and selecting . Windows 8. 1 adds a lot more functionality to the modern UI PC Settings menu, allowing you to change the display and mouse settings, set default apps and change a couple of power settings. However, if you want to make serious changes, such as actually changing the power plan rather than just the amount of time your computer takes to go to sleep or enabling and disabling services, you'll still need the old desktop control panel. Improved Lock Screen. Like Windows 8, Windows 8. PCs. While lock screens make sense on tablets and other touch- screen devices where you can use Windows' picture password patterns or key in a 4- digit pin, they're a little less useful on traditional laptops and desktops where they put the user one click away from their password prompt. MORE: How to Turn Your Lock Screen into a Slideshow. Windows 8. 1's lock screen does offer a few conveniences that Android users are accustomed to, including the ability to launch the camera with a quick swipe upward and answer incoming Skype calls without logging in. In another slight improvement over Windows 8, the lock screen can now cycle through your photos, creating a slideshow out of them. Apps. Along with the update to Windows 8. Microsoft has taken the opportunity to update its preloaded apps while including a couple of brand new apps that didn't exist in Windows 8. The Mail app has become much more large- screen friendly, allowing you to see more on the screen at once and take advantage of Windows 8. Where composing a new message covered over your inbox in Windows 8, the new mail client places the compose box in the right window pane with the inbox and mailbox browsing panes to its left. We particularly appreciated being able to open messages in their own windows, which allowed us to view three messages at once on an HD monitor. MORE: Top Windows 8. Apps. The People app has been redesigned to put your social networking notifications front- and- center. Now you can actually see previews of your most recent messages on the first screen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2017
Categories |